Most of the music on Side Steps was made in 1957, a pivotal year for "Trane." He began it as a contender for Sonny Rollins's tenor crown, but he ended it widely perceived as Rollins's peer. This set programs 12 albums featuring Coltrane, presented in session order over five CDs—more than six hours' playing time. A highlight (and a jazz essential) is the masterpiece "Tenor Madness," on which Coltrane and Rollins blow the roof off of the joint.

"This is classic mainstream Coltrane and belongs in every serious jazz fan's collection, especially with the primo packaging."—Audiophile Audition

"In addition to charting Coltrane's growth as a soloist … [these] are all early period hard bop works of the first order. As well as saxophonists Coltrane, Rollins and Ammons, and pianists Hope, Waldron, Garland and Dameron, the collective soloists include saxophonists Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Sahib Shihab and Pepper Adams, trumpeters Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman, flautist Jerome Richardson, and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Art Taylor. Greats all of them, here in hard bop's first flush of glory. The material used at the sessions ranges from originals, mostly written by the leader on the date, to jazz standards, tunes from the American songbook, and … classic blues structures."—All About Jazz